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The Japanese school system’s English-teaching regimen will undergo a major revamp in the near future as the government tries to nurture more worldly talent in an age of globalization. The biggest transformation is expected in public elementary schools, where English will be taught as ...

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to kick off discussions as soon as next month over whether to revise internal rules to allow Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to run for a third term in the next LDP presidential race to be held by ...

Last month it was revealed that a Bangladeshi former associate professor at Kyoto’s Ritsumeikan University was wanted by police for his suspected involvement in the Dhaka terrorist attack that killed 20 people in a cafe, including seven Japanese. Mohammad Saifullah Ozaki had been teaching ...

Hungry? Just grab a cup of instant noodles and pour hot water into it. After waiting three minutes, the ramen is ready to eat. This September marks the 45th anniversary of Cup Noodles, the “magic” instant food that has had a dramatic impact on ...

Elephant ivory has long been used worldwide to make a host of items from jewelry, piano keys and billiard balls to art and personal seals. Japan, which used ivory to make hanko (personal seals), was one of the biggest importers in the 1970s and ...

Global powers China, the United States and the European Union are fiercely competing to expand their market share in Africa — the world’s last major economic frontier. Japan has long been a big supporter of African nations and in 1993 launched the Tokyo International ...

“Pokemon Go,” the GPS-crossover game for smartphones, has been an instant hit all over the world, particularly in Japan. The explosive popularity also means there are numerous Pokemon beginners. But what exactly is Pokemon? Why has the game proven so popular? And how does ...

As the news reverberated throughout Japan earlier this month that Emperor Akihito intended to relinquish his throne while alive — in the first such move in about 200 years — the nation was struck by one of the biggest implications of his exit: the ...

Plastic is part of the fabric of everyday life, from bags to bottles to synthetic clothing. In 2014, global production amounted to 311 million tons, up from 225 million tons in 2004, according to manufacturers group Plastics Europe. Plastic waste now litters the Earth, ...

As the nation’s population rapidly grays, ensuring there are enough nursing care workers to meet growing demand has become a pressing issue. In 2025, 1 in 5 people will be aged over 75, and 1 in 5 seniors aged over 65 will have dementia, ...

With the July 10 Upper House election just around the corner, politics is once again in the air as Diet members head back to their local constituencies to campaign and promote their party platforms. In the process, they have to deal with local views ...